We are so happy .. yet again!… to feature and showcase another awesome product from one of our Cruelty Free Companies…. Sound Earth!

We not only do we sell it… but we love it and get repeat orders all of the time! Not only does it help with keeping nagging mosquitos away… people love the scent!

Our friend Ann has contributed the post below…..(and yes…. it is still summer for a few more weeks!)

Enjoy summer fun without dangerous chemicals!
Most of us enjoy going to the beach, hiking, gardening and generally being outside during these beautiful summer months. However, we’re faced with insects that can put a damper on all that fun in the sun.
Going rogue, with no bug repellent at all poses health risks such as West Nile Virus, Lyme Disease and bacterial infections not to mention the itching and scratching as a result from bites.
Naturally, one of the first items we reach for when heading to the great outdoors is bug repellent, but many commercial brands contain DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide). Careful consumers are getting educated about this toxic ingredient, and discovering safe alternatives.
DEET is a slightly yellow oil developed and patented by the U. S. Army in 1946 for use by military personnel in insect-infested areas. It solved insect and bug problems, but introduced health risks to those using it.

According to the Cornell Cooperative Extension, there have been reports of seizures and neurotoxic symptoms related to the use of DEET. It can cause acute reactions such as skin irritation, rashes, blisters, and permanent scarring. Additionally, there are documented chronic results of its use such as insomnia; mood disturbances and impaired cognitive function are also noted.

Often there is a catalyst motivating us to change our lifestyle: having children and health issues are at the top – DEET is especially dangerous for children, and can negatively impact your health.
Whoa, that just took the wind out of our summer sail! Fear not, there are safe alternatives to using DEET, and now is the time to make change for good.

For those that love a good DIY project; grab a mini spray bottle and tinker with essential oils such as peppermint, lavender and lemongrass to make your own bug repellent. It’s safe, and your pals will recognize your crafty-ness.

For those who prefer to simply hit the grass running, Sound Earth is here with our bug repellent used the world over: the Sound Earth Body Guard bug repellent. Using only therapeutic grade essential oils in a carrier oil base, you can feel good about using it on you, your kids and your pets.
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Sound Earth is your trusted online source of toxic-free home cleaning and care products. We develop and manufacture our products in New York State’s Hudson Valley. We stay up to date on the latest chemical research, and we share your passion for animals.
Discover our complete line of high quality products; safe for people, pets and planet!
“AT SOUND EARTH WE LOVE ALL ANIMALS, AND BELIEVE EVERY ANIMAL DESERVES TO BE FREE FROM ABUSE AND NEGLECT. WE COMMIT EVERY DAY TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF ANIMALS IN NEED THROUGH OUR BUSINESS PRACTICES, OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY EFFORTS.
WHEN YOU SUPPORT SOUND EARTH YOU ARE SUPPORTING ANIMALS IN NEED.”
~ANN LAGOY, OWNER OF SOUND EARTH.

We are giving a 1oz. bottle of this next week!!!

WOW Ann well said! We love what you do and your thoughtful business practices!!!!

Thank you!!!

REMEMBER…USE THESE CODES WHEN CHECKING OUT AT http://www.crueltyfreeconsumer.com:
FREESHIP on orders over $50
3.95SHIP on orders under $50.
Enjoy the day and please do your part so the animals can enjoy theirs!

This week we are excited to announce our partnership with Bello Moi Skincare. This Mother and Daughter team have the answers for fabulous skin at any age! Check out their guest blog they have provided for us… Again, we are thrilled to welcome them to the CFC family!

Look to the skin for the answers………..

We believe, at Bello Moi, that one’s skin tells a story of one’s overall well-being. As the largest organ in the body, the skin is constantly being bombarded by harmful chemicals, toxins, smoke, and ultra-violet damage from the sun. Over 60% of what we put on the skin is absorbed into the blood stream. Bello Moi is devoted to target the health of the skin by never using any ingredients in the products such as dyes, synthetic fragrances, parabens, sulfates or toxic chemicals. Every ingredient has a specific purpose to improve skin quality and target skin structure. Maximum results are achieved from the purest and more importantly the effectiveness of each ingredient in every Bello Moi product.

The birth of Bello Moi was not overnight. The products were conceived by mother, Carol and daughter, Logan. Carol was plagued with an auto-immune disease that was a constant problem. Also, the aging signs of sun damage and those pesky wrinkles that would not stop appearing were too prevalent. On the other hand, Logan had rosacea/very sensitive skin and wanted to prevent aging skin. Combining the talents of a licensed esthetician and 50 years of natural, holistic research, the mother/daughter team formulated Bello Moi. With the assistance of a chemist, who is the foremost authority on aloe, the skin care line was developed.

Bello Moi skincare is a profoundly effective natural skin care treatment. Bello Moi integrates powerful antioxidants, pure natural plants, cutting edge stem cells, vitamins, peptides and amino acids to boost the life force of skin cells for repair, age and inflammation prevention and maximum hydration. Devoted to promoting healthy and naturally radiant skin, Bello Moi products use only the highest quality natural ingredients. The products have been specifically formulated to work synergistically with each other to maximize results.

Male or female, aged or youth, hypersensitive or post treated, Bello Moi is the skincare company you want to age with. Bello Moi is not just a skincare – it is a lifestyle choice. It is about eating healthy and talking care of your body from the inside out.

It is important to know we use ingredients you need; nothing more, nothing less. No toxins, no animal products, and our products were only tested on humans. We are endorsed by the Leaping Bunny cruelty free program. We are PETA certified and a 100% vegan natural cosmeceutical skincare line. These products can be found at www.crueltyfreeconsumer.com .

Check us out this week… Our giveaway is from EO Products!

REMEMBER…USE THESE CODES WHEN CHECKING OUT AT http://www.crueltyfreeconsumer.com:
FREE SHIP with orders over $50
3.95SHIP on orders under $50.
Enjoy the day and please do your part so the animals can enjoy theirs!

We’ve been honored with yet another guest blogger. This time from our friends at the Vintage Soap Factory! Co-Founder Elizabeth Attie took a few minutes to do an interview with us! (We’ve tried this product and love it by the way!)

What would you like readers to know about your company and the Le Savonnier Marseillais brand?

The Vintage Soap Factory is a manufacturer of traditional soaps dedicated to always producing 100% natural pure olive oil soaps. We have perfected an ancient process for modern times.
The idea was born with one simple goal — to provide the finest quality natural soap for household and personal use, the latter for all skin types after being aware of the importance of true natural products. We use only superior olive oil sourced from the finest of regions.

Your Le Savonnier Marseillais All-Purpose Soap was honored with a People’s Choice Award as being among the breakout products of 2014. Tell us a little about the product. What has winning the award meant?

It was very exciting for us to be voted Product of the Year in the liquid soap category and featured in Parade magazine. The liquid soap is the finest product line we have to offer, and is everything you need to clean all your washable surfaces. There is no need for an arsenal of cleaners when one all-purpose soap can clean your countertops, dishes, windows, floors, laundry,upholstery and more. Its main ingredients — 100% olive oil for streak-free cleaning and other essential oils, which have antifungal and disinfectant properties — are selected for their
reputed benefits for home and skin. It’s a potent yet gentle formula that is safe for you and your family and also protects the health of our rivers, streams and oceans.

Do natural products really clean?
There is a common misconception that green doesn’t clean. Any one cleaning product — green or conventional and used in small amounts and with proper ventilation — probably won’t make you ill. The problem is that most people use multiple cleaning products. Repeated exposure to the chemicals in these products can add up. On the surface, they appear to be great at what they are designed to do — repelling dirt, dust and grime with nothing more than a spritz and some elbow grease. Unfortunately, these often contain toxins that shouldn’t come into contact with the most absorbent tissue in our bodies. Many of these ingredients are the same compounds you are working to eliminate from your furniture, beauty routine and laundry processes. If they don’t have a place in your living room, medicine cabinet or closet, they shouldn’t be in your cleaning supplies.

Who are your key customers? Why do they buy your products?

The move toward natural, organic and healthy products is not a fad but a societal shift that is poised to grow to $226 billion by 2018, with an annual growth rate of 8.6%. This translates into key trends identified for the coming year, which include:

•The health and wellness consumer: The healthy movement is spreading across all demographic groups, differentiated by lifestyles, behaviors, attitudes and beliefs about health and wellness. Consumers are looking for natural ingredients at a price point that is attractive.

•Convenience and accessibility: There is a demand for products that permit people to make eco-friendly decisions and conveniently carry them out.

•Labeling transparency: Consumers are asking for transparency with regard to product labels, claims and certifications, including Leaping Bunny, non-GMO and organic.

•Our core demographic: A female between the age of 25 and 50 concerned with her family’s health, who cares about indoor and outdoor environments and values natural ingredients in products even when they are not the least expensive alternative.

Thank you so much Elizabeth! We are so thrilled to have you and your brand represented at Cruelty Free Consumer.com!

Congrats to you as well on your “Product of the Year” win!

We now carry this on our site! We love it… did we already mention that!?

REMEMBER…USE THESE CODES WHEN CHECKING OUT AT http://www.crueltyfreeconsumer.com:
FREE SHIP with orders over $50
3.95SHIP on orders under $50.
Enjoy the day and please do your part so the animals can enjoy theirs!

Demes Natural Products has just joined CFC. They have written a a blog for us to share with you this week.

“We are DEMES – a small family company with big hearts. We make products for your home, your family, and your furry friends—because what you breathe, how you live, and what you absorb, affect you and your loved ones.
Our company has been around since 2010, making natural products that use safe, non-toxic ingredients – starting with our multi-use spray deodorizer, Get the Funk Out (for people pets and places) and our convenient, mess-free moisturizing stick, Butter me UP (great for adults and kids).
We know that as manufacturers, it is up to us to provide the safest and most beneficial products to you that we can.
And with that safety in mind, we became certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny (CCIC) in 2013. We guarantee that no animals are harmed or tested on at any stage from suppliers to bottling.

We want happy, healthy, families. It’s simple… Almost as simple as our natural ingredients. We think you and the little guys who can’t speak for themselves deserve it.
So what about our name, DEMES? Well, that is our family: Daniel, Evan, Michelle, Erik, Skippy (our guinea pig and mascot!)”

Thanks you Michelle and “DEMES”! We love your name and look forward to working with you!

Also… be watching next week for our giveaway!!!!!

A quick thought and reminder.. in addition to all of the great brands and products listed above…. we also offer Tom’s of Maine, Tsi-La Organics (Perfume), and several fantastic products for keeping a clean house … Better Life, Dr. Bronner’s, The Vintage Soap Factory! Sanitizer etc… EO Products!

Thank you again for supporting Cruelty Free Consumer.com

REMEMBER…USE THESE CODES WHEN CHECKING OUT AT http://www.crueltyfreeconsumer.com:
FREE SHIP with orders over $50
3.95SHIP on orders under $50.
Enjoy the day and please do your part so the animals can enjoy theirs!

Crazy Rumors…. Is one of the first companies we started working with in 2011! We are so happy to be partnered with this amazing brand…. they are fun and offer a fantastic product… (As it says in their tagline… naturally fun products!)

Fun for my girls too as they are always wanting to try the latest “Flavor’ … the biggest challenge is teaching a 2.5 year old not to roll it (the lip balm) all the way up! Oh… the lessons!!!!

So yes…Crazy Rumors is our featured company this week! Learn about them and what they do for the animals as well! You’ll find them at Crueltyfreeconsumer.com. They also have received tons of national media & press coverage!

Here we go! Thanks to Edie for her story contribution below to our blog!!!
“Crazy Rumors was a concept my husband Brian and I came up with while hanging out in a local coffee/tea house what seemed like ages ago (2003). We loved the look and feel it evoked, and thought how much fun it would be to take these elements and incorporate them into an awesome product! That was the birth of our first babies (before the kitties) Perk and Brew – our coffee and tea flavored lip balms!

Did you know before making our first batch of balms, we experimented with soap making. It was a bit messy, but the Tangerine Oatmeal soap was just awesome!
Maybe we’ll try it again one day! :)

The love of our packaging, branding and design, and of course formulation and flavoring is why our customers keep coming back for more! Our products are unique by incorporating fun and fresh into the natural realm. Today, we have grown from 12 flavors to over 40! Some of our awesomely unique flavors include: Sweet Thai Tea, Red Velvet Cake and even a vegan Honey (we call Bee My Honey) We even have a beautiful line of Hawaiian inspired line of lip colors! Our high quality, super moisturizing ingredients make our products fabulous. We only use the best of the best plant based all natural, non – GMO and vegan ingredients. We’ve had the same customers carry our products since day one, and we’re super proud of it!

Thanks for checking us out! (Smooches! Edie & Brian)”

Edie, Brian thank you again for your partnership! We are so thrilled to be able to offer the Crazy Rumors brand to our Cruelty Free Consumers!

Oh by the way… since we know all of you are following us… you can probably assume what comes next… YES! A Crazy Rumors giveaway! Watch next week for details!

REMEMBER…USE THESE CODES WHEN CHECKING OUT AT http://www.crueltyfreeconsumer.com:
FREE SHIP with orders over $50
3.95SHIP on orders under $50.
Enjoy the day and please do your part so the animals can enjoy theirs!

This week our focus is on a newly discovered company and I’m in love! The products offered by “A Girl’s Gotta Spa!”are absolutely amazing just as Shannon had told us! We love her story and being a mom myself…. I can certainly relate!

Below is Shannon’s story from A Girl’s Gotta Spa!…

The concept of A Girl’s Gotta Spa! began 9 years ago this October.
I was 31 years old at the time and a mother of 3 sons (with another to be the apple of my eye in the not so distant future.) I had recently left working in the mental health field, which was both rewarding and taxing, and moved from the suburbs of Philadelphia to the rural surroundings of the Pocono Mountains. The idea of taking time for myself was not a foreign concept; however it is typically quite a dichotomy. On the one hand you have people telling you that you need some me time, “Take some time for yourself,” they’d say, “You deserve it.” Then, on the other hand, you have people asking you and accusing you of being selfish for doing so.

I believe you deserve to be pampered.

A Girl’s Gotta Spa! ® was built on the belief that your personal well-being should be a priority. A Girl’s Gotta Spa! is a call to action, whether you are young or old, regardless of ethnicity or creed, working in the corporate world or busy raising the next generation of responsible leaders, you deserve to treat yourself daily.
I truly believe this and whether you are worn and withered from your career, your children, your spouse, your friendships, your finances and any other circumstance in your life (the good and the bad), I want you to believe it too.

Pamper: To indulge with every intention, comfort and kindness.

A Girl’s Gotta Spa! bath and body line is one that is natural and cruelty free. Nowhere in our mission is there room for animal cruelty of any kind. We’re proud to now be among a prestigious list of beauty companies who also hold this same value with our Leaping Bunny certification.

A Girl’s Gotta Spa! is free of sulfates, formaldehyde, petrochemicals, synthetic colors and fragrances. Our Energizing Citrus Body Wash and Energizing Citrus Body Lotion are both vegan. Crafted in small batches, the purity and quality of the ingredients will be an elucidation to your dry skin care woes and satiate your senses.

Energizing Citrus is an invigorating mix of pink grapefruit, lemon, lime and orange. The fragrance is not overwhelming, but more subtle in the sense that you can clearly distinguish each essential oil as you apply the products. The Body Wash will leave your skin hydrated and silky smooth, while the Body Lotion will leave skin looking and feeling soft and healthy.

So I encourage you, take time for yourself today. Know that you are worth it. Know that you deserve to be pampered.

Thank you Shannon, we are so thrilled to be associated with you and your brand!

Next week, you will have the chance to win these 2 products to pamper yourself! Be watching via Facebook, Twitter and this blog for details as to how to enter!

Time to enjoy summer…. Compliments of CFC’S Featured Company, Andalou Naturals

It’s summertime and with it comes a million ways to be outdoors… yea! Our good friend Stacey Kelly-Egide, founder & CEO of Andalou Naturals Fruit Stem Cell Science has provided 6 fantastic tips to keep and maintain beautiful skin during the summer months (all year, actually!)

Tip #1 – Love the Shade
It’s important to limit direct sun exposure, especially between 10 AM and 4 PM, when the sun’s rays are strongest. Even on an overcast day, up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV rays can penetrate through cloud cover. For best protection and comfort it’s best to stay in the shade.

Tip #2 – Undercover Agent
Wear clothes that protect your body. If you plan on being outside on a sunny day, cover as much of your body as possible. Wear a hat. Consider using an umbrella for instant shade. And don’t forget to protect your eyes with quality sunglasses that offer maximum UV protection.

Tip #3 – Serious about Sunscreen
Use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher every day. SPF (Sun Protection Factor) estimates the time a sunscreen can protect the skin from sunburn. To protect your skin from damage caused by UVA and UVB sunlight, a ‘Broad Spectrum’ sunscreen is required. Dermatologists most often recommend a daily SPF 30 that includes UVA & UVB protection ingredients, like Zinc Oxide, to best guard against skin damage caused by sun exposure.

Tip #4 – Defend the Skin You’re In
Sun exposure is the primary cause of premature aging caused by weakened and damaged cells, described as free radicals. To help defend your skin against damaging free-radical cells and the signs of premature aging, including fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation, we recommend an antioxidant-rich sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.

It’s here! We are ready! We are officially introducing The CFC Blog/Giveaway series!!!

We thank Bulldog Skincare for Men as our Kick-off Company… and it’s just in time for Father’s Day!!!

Here at Cruelty Free Consumer.com, we have been working very hard to collaborate with some of our favorite cruelty free brands so that we can speed up the introduction process and bring new brands to you! Yes…. we will feature a Cruelty Free Brand on our blog and then the following Monday give the details for how to enter and win the products from our featured company! Be watching CFC’s social media as well.

A bit of background…..In the fall, we worked with The Living Clay Company to organize a conversation via guest blog which then lead to a giveaway. The concept was well received with many people learning about a “new” to them Cruelty Free Brand! Our winner was thrilled with her gift she received from Living Clay! *** No catch here****our mission in doing this series…. (we are calling it that because we plan to introduce a CF Brand at least every other week!) is to introduce more people to all of the amazing products and brands offered on the market from beauty lines, baby products, pet and home goods (cleaners to candles etc!).

On to our Highlighted Company… BULLDOG SKINCARE FOR MEN!

Thank you to Angela Acquaye for her contribution with the Blog and the Giveaway!

British brand Bulldog Skincare For Men makes award winning skincare products that are purpose-built for men, using natural ingredients that really work. Bulldog launched in the US in 2010 and has expanded its ethical line to 12 products in just three years.

The brand was born in 2006, out of the frustration that there were no natural options available for switched-on men who wanted to reduce the number of man-made chemicals in their bathrooms. Bulldog is now available in 13 countries and over 10,000 stores worldwide.

Bulldog products are never tested on animals and never include ingredients derived from animal sources. The brand is approved as ‘Cruelty Free’ and was rated as the top brand in the UK across both male and female skincare categories in the Ethical Company Organization’s 2012 Good Shopping Guide. Bulldog can be found nationwide in or at CRUELTY FREE CONSUMER.com!

This month Bulldog is urging American men to enhance their natural skincare regimes with the launch of three new specialist products available online at meetthebulldog.com. As always, these products are purpose built for men using world-class natural ingredients, all delivered with a witty dose of personality on the back of each pack.